A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bottom silo unloaders and more particularly to a new and improved silo unloader specially designed to provide easy visual inspection to insure that a tight seal is established when the discharge door is closed. Moreover, the novel silo unloader includes a discharge outlet having a drip edge spaced upwardly and offset from a lower sealing bar so that material hanging from the drip edge does not interfere with a tight seal formed around a periphery of the door when the door is closed.
B. Description of the Prior Art
In agricultural silos and storage enclosures it is necessary and desirable to provide means for rapid discharge of the contents thereof when desired and to provide airtight sealing of the discharge opening when the material is stored so that spoilage will not result.
A number of bottom silo unloaders of the type employing flail chains for digging out and discharging silage through a discharge opening in the bottom wall of the silo have been developed and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,710,960, 3,710,986, 3,809,260, 3,828,946, 3,828,947, 3,837,507, 3,907,131 and 4,079,848 are directed to unloaders of this type. In particular, the latter patent discloses a bottom silo unloader having a pivotable discharge door for opening and closing a discharge opening in a housing or discharge chute structure.